Sony updates Playstation Vita console, launches Vita TV

Sony has unveiled a new version of its PlayStation Vita handheld gaming
console at the Tokyo Game Show, as well as a new low-cost gaming console
that connects to a television, called the PlayStation Vita TV.

The new PlayStation Vita portable gaming console (PCH-2000) is 20 per cent thinner and 15 per cent lighter than the existing PS Vita, weighing 219g and measuring just 15mm wide.

It has an LCD screen, rather than the original Vita's OLED screen, and battery life has also been improved by one hour, with a total of six hours' play time. The device will come with a micro-USB connector and 1GB of on-board memory.

The new PS Vita will launch in Japan on 10 October, and will be available in six different colours - white, yellow, pink, silver, blue and black. It has not been confirmed whether the device will be available in the UK.

Sony will continue to sell the older OLED-screen Vita, repackaged with a memory card and pre-installed games, at a reduced price of around £169.99.

Sony has also unveiled a new inexpensive gaming console, called the PlayStation Vita TV. The console is a tiny box that connects to a television, allowing games to be played through PlayStation 3′s Dual Shock 3 controller.

The PlayStation Vita TV console is capable of playing about 1,300 games that are available for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation One, in addition to many of the PlayStation Vita games through the PlayStation Network, as digital downloads.

The Vita TV can also be used for streaming video from connected services including Sony's Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services, Twitter and Hulu. A future software update will allow users to stream PlayStation 4 games on a secondary TV via streaming.

The basic model will sell in Japan for £63, while a version bundled with a wireless DualShock 3 controller and a 8GB memory card will cost £96.